Love And Letters
by mandaree1
Summary: Mikey has a secret. Raph has a secret. Both are content to keep their secrets quiet from their older brothers and teacher. But it never works out that way, does it?
1. Mickey's Secret- Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in any reincarnation; TV show, movie, video game, etc.**

**Title: Love and Letters**

**Summary: Mikey has a secret. Raph has a secret. Both are content to keep their secrets quiet from their older brothers and teacher. But it never works out that way, does it?**

**Warnings: Gay Mikey. Raph's secret (and warning) will come in the next chapter, although you can probably get a good idea of what it is just from this.**

**Chapter Title: Mikey's Secret: Love.**

**...**

Raph's reaction to Mikey's secret was around the lines of 'it ain't life-threatening and it ain't gonna effect your fighting, so who cares?'

Well, the others might, but Raph wasn't the type to sweat the little stuff. Donnie always said it was because brutes didn't have the mental capacity to truly consider certain things from all angles and understand what they meant in the bigger picture, and as Raph didn't have a better explanation for it, he just accepted it and moved on. He wasn't mowing down the little stuff in battle, so the little stuff didn't matter.

Mikey kept his secret out of fear. Not of being rejected or being kicked out or anything (ha! Never happen), but of disappointing Sensei. Raph didn't see what was so disappointing about it, or what about it could possibly make Sensei disapprove of him, but, hey, brutes, y'know?

Actually, now that he thought about, he'd known even before Mikey did. It was one of those little things, a thought picking at the back of his mind that he never bothered to check out. Like he said; he didn't attack the little stuff. The little stuff couldn't kill his brothers. Raph had no interest in sticking his nose into the little stuff.

He wasn't stereotypical, but he was obvious. At least, to him, he was. And, since Raph was the best secret keeper out of all of them (oh, you want me to_ not_ tell the others something that'll never come up in any conversation, _ever_? I'm on it, dude, don't worry), Mikey hadn't minded him knowing his secret all that much, especially after he'd shown him _his_ secret.

He'd get into that later, just... not yet. This was about Mikey. Or, to be more specific, Mikey still being in the closet.

Well, actually, Mikey was so far out of the closet it wasn't even funny, but their brothers were so oblivious he might has well have been shoulder-deep in dirty laundry and long-lost toys.

"Really?" He threw his hands up in the air one day. "Am I_ really_ the only one who sees it?"

"Seems like it, dude." Mikey chuckled. "But, to be fair, I'm the only one who noticed your secret, and you had to_ show_ it to me."

That shut Raph up. It always does.

Either way, Mikey was the closest to out of the closet a guy who'd never looked his family in the eye and said "I'm gay." could be. Which was, as far as he was concerned, pretty dang far.

"You might as well tell 'em, Mike. It's not like they don't already know it." They just haven't admitted to themselves yet.

"It's not exactly somethin' that comes up, Raph. It'd be weird to just tell them out of nowhere."

The excuse was weak, and they both knew it. Raph crossed his arms. "Hasn't stopped you before."

"Y'know, for a guy that's good with secrets, you sure do like trying to get people to tell them."

Raph shrugged. "I just don't see why this has to be some big secret, is all."

It's an even weaker excuse than the one before it, and they both knew it. Raph didn't like seeing his brothers in pain, and, in his mind, Mikey keeping secrets- something he_ never_ did-, and keeping them so closely guarded at that, wasn't like him. At all. It was so unlike him that it_ had_ to hurt.

The way Raph saw it, it was like tearing off a band-aid. Sure, ripping it off fast hurt and left you momentarily weakened, but taking your time with it was much more tedious, and made it that much more painful when someone close to you, noticing the half-off band-aid came up to you and ripped it off completely before you were prepared.

It was better to do it yourself, was his opinion, than to have others forcibly do it for you.

"Well, alright then. I'll tell Leo and Donnie..." Mikey swung his legs over the concrete ledge, content with the win he knew was to come. "But only if you tell them your little secret. Eye for an eye, remember?"

Raph tensed. He could practically _hear_ Donnie and Leo now, the chuckling and sneering and lectures.

_"I always knew you were dumb, Raph, but I didn't think you were **this** dumb."_

He shook the voice away with a snarl. Stupid Donnie with his stupid Einstein-level _everything_ and his stupid sneering.

It's the same argument every time, and Raph has yet to win it. His pride always got in the way.

Mikey grinned. "Exactly how I feel, bro."

That shut Raph up. It usually does.

Eventually Mikey breaks the silence and nudges his arm. "Come'on, let's play that new video game Ap' got us."

Raph looked doubtful, not to mention worried. "Ain't that the one with the long cut-scenes? With lot's of dialogue?"

Mikey just grins wider and nudges him again, leading him to the TV. "Don't worry, dude. I got you."

**Author's Note: And there's Mikey's secret. =)**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	2. Raph's Secret- Letters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in any reincarnation; TV show, movie, video game, etc.**

**Title: Love and Letters**

****Summary: Mikey has a secret. Raph has a secret. Both are content to keep their secrets quiet from their older brothers and teacher. But it never works out that way, does it?****

******Warnings: Gay Mikey and dyslexic Raph.******

******Chapter Title: Raph's Secret; Letters.******

******...******

******Liliana Dragonshard- No, not quite. =) Thanks!  
><strong>****

******...******

Unlike Mikey, Raph's secret isn't a secret because of fear of people being disgusted (namely; April, the only non-mutated family member) or being disappointed in him. He'd admitted to himself_ and_ Mikey a long time ago that it was merely a pride thing.

And it wasn't like it wasn't obvious or anything either. Heck, they should've figured it out_ long_ before Mikey found out. It had, after all, always been there. Always.

It was in every one of Sensei's; "Raphael, focus. Just because you aren't in normal school doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to read and write. Now, try again; you mixed up the letters."

It was in how utterly clueless he was when they were watching one of Mikey's anime shows and they talked _way_ to fast and the subtitles flew by.

It was in how he avoided every type of book except for comic books, and, even then, how he sometimes had to rely on the pictures to help him decipher some of the sentences.

Raph had always known that he wasn't seeing quite what his brothers were seeing, but he hadn't known just how much he was missing out on until he'd told Mikey.

Well, he hadn't _told_ him anything. Words were never his forte either, and Mikey probably wouldn't've understood if he'd tried to tell him through words.

Instead, while Mikey fretted over his reaction to finding out _his_ secret (like he'd never_ not_ known, right?) Raph had slipped into his room and dug out his old 'ABC's' book, handing it over roughly with the command to read it. And then he'd merely hovered nearby and watched as Mikey paged through it, slowly noticing the patterns in his misspellings and going through a mini-epiphany.

"_Dude_," He'd breathed, book closed and perched on his lap. "How could we _not_ have seen that when we were kids?"

Raph shrugged. He didn't really know, and he wasn't all that interested in finding out. "There, now it's eye for an eye, alright? We've both got dirt on each other; now quit whining about it." Which was the only way Raph knew how to say 'We're in the same boat, you have nothing to fear from me while we pilot these waters together.' At least, that's what he meant in a poetic way, at least.

Stupid Donnie was getting to him again or something...

After that, Mikey started helping him. It took awhile, but eventually they decoded the easier-to-spot errors in his writing, and Mikey learned how to spot and correct them with minimal fuss.

If no one was around and he couldn't figure out a word or phrase, Raph would hand him whatever he was reading and point. If subtitles were getting to confusing, all he had to do was listen to Mikey's animated chatter and he'd have a good idea of what was going on. If video game cut-scenes were long and the speech bubbles flew by to fast, Mikey usually got up to act out what was going on, attempting to capture the air of the scene and voices while jerking around in rough motions and repeating everything they said, pointing out his favorite parts.

Alright, so the last few were just Mikey being Mikey, but they were still good learning tools, and Raph used them to his advantage.

Heh. Mikey and teaching. Donnie's head would _explode_ if he knew those two words could get along.

"You aren't stupid, Raph." Mikey had said once, and had continued saying periodically ever since. "Lot's of humans are like you."

Even if he wasn't how he was, Raph would still be the muscle. He'd known that from day one. Leo was the leader, Donnie; the genius, Mike the pick-up and prankster, and Raph was the muscle. He could've been as smart as Donnie, as wise and supportive as Leo, and, because of his size and temperament, he would still be the muscle. That was just how things worked.

Confucius was the idea that, if everyone knew their place in society and in life, peace would reign. Things were far from peaceful, but Raph understood and respected the ideal behind it. Some of its rules were stupid, true, (husband over wife, only friends were truly equal, etc), but the idea was solid and it made sense to him. So, in a way, Raph was an instinctual follower of Confucius. Things would never change. If they did, things would go down the sewer drain.

Perhaps it would also be wise to note that Raph was rather habitual on things like this, and that was part of the reason why his grasp on things like Confucius was so strong.

Raph wasn't supposed to be smart. And, because of his place, and his mild disability, he wasn't, and he had no real way of changing that.

Mikey thought he was stupid for buying into things like that. Raph personally agreed with him.

"We ain't human, Mike." Was always his answer. "We ain't supposed to be like them."

"Well... walking and talking is a human thing, so maybe we have some human genes in us?" Mikey tapped his chest.

"Dunno. Ask Donnie. He probably does."

But Mikey seemed intent on making Raph have some sort of mini-epiphany, so he doesn't move. "Think about it. If the person who gave away their genes was like you, or they made them like that, and you fell into that part of the mutagen, that would totally explain why you're the only one!"

Raph rubbed his head with a sigh. Sure, it made a lot of sense, but Donnie was the only one who really knew how mutagen or genes worked. For all they knew, it might be something completely different; or what he was saying could be right on the dot. "You sound like Donnie."

"Nah. Donnie sounds a lot smarter than I do." Mikey grinned playfully. "_And_ he's a lot harder to follow."

"True, true, but you sound well on your way. You going nerd on me, Mike?"

Mikey and Raph both chuckled. Mike was smart, true, but none of them could even _hope_ to be in the same class as Donnie. "No way, dude! I'll leave that to the professionals."

The air slowly sobered as they went back to playing video games. Mikey seemed lost in thought, and Raph was just trying to survive in a virtual world filled with strong enemies.

"Hey. You think Sensei knows?"

Raph sighed. "It's_ Sensei_, Mikey."

"Yeah, but... if he knows, why doesn't he pull us aside and, I dunno, talk to us or something?"

"Maybe... he doesn't know, then." The very notion seemed impossible. Sensei wasn't perfect by any means, but he always seemed to know when they were hiding something. But, then again, it wasn't like they were very obvious about their secrets.

They never dared mention their secrets during daylight hours, _especially_ in the lair. If they_ did_ say anything, it was always when they were sure no one was within hearing distance, and that Sensei was out of the house, the farther away, the better. They also only talked about it every once in awhile, over video games, deep in the night when the others had long muted their hearing to get some sleep.

Ninja were to be thorough in every way, even about things like this.

"But that doesn't make sense either!" Mikey chucked the controller to the floor and curled in on himself. "Sensei always knows."

Raph set the controller down beside him. "Can't think of any other reason why he wouldn't say anything."

"Maybe he's waiting for us to do it on our own?"

"Maybe... but Sensei's the kind 'a guy who gives subtle encouragement." And stern lectures when the encouragement doesn't work. Raph left it unsaid. "He wouldn't _not_ say anything."

"I guess..." He drew his knees closer. "Raph, do you ever feel bad?"

"For what?" Being embarrassed? Being to tongue-tied to tell the truth? Being capable of keeping secrets from his family merely because no one ever bothered to watch him to see if he_ had_ secrets?

"I dunno. All of this, I guess." He waved a hand.

"Nah. We got our reasons, right?" He set a heavy hand on his shoulder. "They can't knock us for somethin' like this."

"Yeah, I guess not..." Mickey looked indecisive. Raph shook off his own feelings of guilt and picked up the controller from where he'd set it down.

"Hey, look, another cut-scene. Great."

Mickey perked up at the lack of enthusiasm in his tone. "Really?"

"Well, either that or I need glasses."

"Pff." His brother stood and grabbed the other controller off the floor, the moment passing. He flopped down beside him with a grin. "Dude, you would look like _such_ a dork with glasses."

"We can't_ wear_ glasses, dufus, remember?"

"Donnie could find a way." Was the immediate answer, because Donnie was almost always the answer. Just... not with secrets.

Raph set the controller aside and leaned back. "Speakin' of Donnie, looks like he messed with the text again."

Donnie, the I'm-better-than-everyone-at-everything-and-could-win-a-reading-Olympics, always set the text speed the fastest it could go. Raph was beat before he even started. The smart jerk.

"Don't worry, bro." Mickey set a hand on his shoulder. "I got you."

Raph, while slightly touched by the sentiment, deep in his brutish heart, snorted and pushed the hand way. "Yeah, right. You just like this cut-scene."

"I cannot tell a lie! It truly is the most fun of all cut-scenes in this game, don't you agree?"

They were alright with being the only ones who knew. Really. It was better this way.

**Author's Note: And so, Raph's secret has been revealed. He's dyslexic. **

**I should probably mention that this story's only gonna be four chapters, and it mostly focuses on Raph. I know, it's really short, but it's my idea and I'm sticking to it. =)**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	3. Love Revealed

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in any reincarnation; TV show, movie, video game, etc.**

**Title: Love And Letters**

**Summary: Mikey has a secret. Raph has a secret. Both are content to keep their secrets quiet from their older brothers and teacher. But it never works out that way, does it?**

**Warnings: Gay Mikey and dyslexic Raph.**

**Chapter Title: Love Revealed**

**...**

**Liliana Dragonshard- Thanks!**

**...**

Raph was more than a little upset when Master Splinter pulled them aside one day and told them that they had overheard their conversations and knew they had a secret or two, and perhaps it would be wise to_ tell them_ said secret(s) soon? He was downright pissed when he found out it was because of Donnie's obsessive-compulsive need to put video cameras in every single corner in the lair.

And Mikey? Mikey just stood there, shell-shocked.

Raph spent the rest of _that_ lovely day above ground, looking for criminals taking shelter in dark alleys to take his anger out on. And as far as he knew, Mikey spent it in his room, entertaining himself with his comics and, well, whatever else he did to have fun. There were too many possibilities to count.

On the way to the living room the next morning, however, he grabbed his arm and mumbled a quick "Stay behind me, 'kay?" before ducking into the room.

Leo glanced up from his Space Heroes episode with a look of disappointment. Donnie looked up from his magazine with a frown. April, bless her, has a paper due in a few days, and keeps typing on her computer like nothings happening.

Hypocrites. The whole lot of 'em were acting like hypocrites. _Especially_ Leo. Raph wanted to knock both his brothers upside the head as a reality check, but Sensei was watching, and he was in more than enough trouble as it was, so he grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

Stupid, meddling Donnie. _Always_ had to point out other peoples flaws and tattle-tale secrets, didn't he? He couldn't just leave a turtle in peace, could he?

Mikey glanced back a second to make sure he was still there. Then he turned around, took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and preceded to knock their socks off.

"So... I'm gay." He raised his hands in the air in a 'what can you do?' sort of way. "So what?"

Leo dropped the TV remote. April paused a second to look at him, making sure of his sincerity, then turned back to her computer with a 'huh.' Donnie slowly blinked at him.

"Is that all?"

All at once, Raph's amusement turned to rage. Even their_ fears_ weren't enough for this guy, huh? Well, he'd give 'em something to fear!

...As soon as Master Splinter left the room, that is.

Mikey shrugged, mostly unhurt by the remark. "Pretty much, yeah."

"That's, uh, that wasn't really something you needed to hide, you know."

"Yeah, I know." He nodded, as though years and years of fearing disappointment and rejection had just disappeared- poof!- off the face of the earth. Raph didn't know whether to be impressed or mad. "It's just... it's kinda personal, ya'know?"

"Oh. Okay then." Donnie went back to his magazine with a shrug. Jerk.

"Am I the only one here that's surprised?" Leo asked, blinking.

"Nope." Donnie eyed him over the top of the page.

"I had a guess, but nothing concrete." April commented from behind the computer.

Well, it was safe to assume that _April_ wasn't mad or disgusted, at least. The girl seemed to be full of surprises, anymore.

Raph threw his hands into the air. "Am I the only one who_ wasn't_ surprised!?"

Mikey chuckled and jerked a thumb his way. "Raph's always said it was pretty easy to spot."

"It is!"

"You're the only one who noticed!"

"Yeah, well-" Diagnosing his siblings and mentor with blissful and unintentional ignorance here and now _might_ get him that fight he was looking for, but it'd also get him a scolding, so he bit his tongue and glared at his younger sibling.

And suddenly everyone's eyes were on him. "So, Raph?" Leo prompted. "Anything you'd like to_ tell_ us?"

Raph scanned their faces for a second, decided that while _Mikey_ might be willing to blow everything they'd been working to keep hidden, he wasn't, and shrugged tensely. "I, uh, I'm gonna go train." Then he fast-walked out the door.

* * *

><p>That night, Mikey bursts into his room without so much as knocking, making Raph want to clobber him into next week, but he's pretty comfortable where he's at, lounging back on his bed with a comic book, so he let's it slide, just this once.<p>

"So, how's that 'secret-hiding' thing going for you?"

"Not too bad, actually. How's that whole 'randomly-coming-out-of-the-closet' thing going?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. Thanks for asking." Mikey plopped down by his feet. "So."

"So."

"You're gonna keep your secret a secret, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Cool, cool." He paused. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Aren't I usually?"

"Yeah, but this time you have some reason behind it or something instead of me bein' an annoying brat." _As per usual._

Raph grunted and stared at the ceiling, comic long forgotten. "I'm not mad at you. Just confused."

"About what?"

"You."

"Me what?"

"You told 'em like it was nothing."

"Oh, that." He swung his feet. "I, uh, I've kinda been meaning to come out for awhile now, actually. I just never got around to it."

"Yeah, right."

"No, I'm serious. One of Casey's pals came out, remember? No one blew their tops over it then, so I thought to myself 'hey, I can do this.'"

"But you didn't." He tried to meet his eye, but Mikey was staring intently at the wall. Raph vaguely wondered what he saw there. "Why not?"

Mikey shrugged. Awkward silence ran through the room. "Well, uh... It's like this. You and me? We don't really have a lot in common, do we?"

"Of course we don't."

"I bug you, you punch me, and that's cool. That's how its always worked. I just, I dunno, I liked having somethin' between us, is all. You and Donnie have your motorcycle obsession, Leo and you have always been trying to beat the crud out of each other, but you and me? We got squat."

"Hey, that ain't true. We got pranks."

"Taking Dr. Prankenstein for a spin every once in awhile is cool and all, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I like taking off the mad doctor gloves. What then?"

"Video games?"

He fixed him a dry look. "Raph, you don't even know what's going _on_ half the time in most of those."

"All the more fun to kick my butt!" He sat up. Mikey shrugged again, eyes drifting to the floor.

Raph sighed. Right, mushy. He was gonna have to be mushy on this one. He put a hand on his shoulder and shook it roughly. "Look, you're still my go-to reading guy, right?"

"Right."

"And I'm still gonna be the turtle that beats the crap out of your first ex-boyfriend, right?"

"Right." He grinned.

"Exactly. You've got nothing to worry about."

"I guess not." A pause. "They aren't gonna laugh at you, you know."

"You don't know that." Suddenly, Raph's comic book was _very_ interesting. Enough so he wanted to bury his nose as deep into it as possible, even if it meant that his brother might get sick of watching him and leave. Heck, it'd be better if he did. He'd be able to properly concentrate, then.

"Yeah, I do. They didn't laugh at me; they aren't gonna laugh at you."

"Oh, shut up."

"I'm gonna keep bugging you until you tell, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do. But I'm still not tellin'."

_Yeah, right._

**Author's Note: And suddenly, there's only one chapter left! Seesh. This is went by fast. (Then again, that may have something to do with how short it is, but eh.)**

**So, uh, in case you haven't noticed, Raph's feeling a bit of resentment towards Donnie in this fic. (well, a little more than usual.)**

**The reasons simple; Raph feels outclassed.**

**You give him a controller, he can beat him. You give him his sai's, he can defeat him. You give him a book, and... well, he loses. And that bugs him. Like, a lot. It's the same sort of envy he used to feel towards Leo about being leader. 'I'm bigger, I'm badder, so why does_ he_ win?' The whole reason he's keeping it secret is an attempt to salvage his 'damaged' pride, when, in all reality, _he's_ the only one who thinks less of himself.**

**In its own strange way, Pride is a complicated beastie, isn't it?**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	4. Letters Revealed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in any reincarnation; movies, comics, TV shows, etc**

**Title: Love And Letters**

**Summary: Mikey has a secret. Raph has a secret. Both are content to keep their secrets quiet from their older brothers and teacher. But it never works out that way, does it?**

**Warnings: Gay Mikey and dyslexic Raph.**

**Chapter Title: Letters Revealed**

**...**

**Zelgadis55- Thanks! =)**

**...**

It took him all of three days to give in. Which was, ironically enough, a record.

When Mikey nitpicked, he _nitpicked_. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, if need be. No one, not even the stubborn wall that was Raph, stood a chance.

And neither did Mikey. All week it had been the same thing; he'd bother him, Raph'd get mad, then suddenly he was being chased around the lair in hopes of dodging his older brother's rather hard fists until Master Splinter or Leo intervened. Rinse and repeat.

For three. Whole. Days.

Raph as pretty sure _no one_ had slept much those few days, and the lack of a good nights rest was driving him up the wall.

Fine, then. He'd spill his guts, take a long nap, then beat the green off his younger brother with reckless abandon.

"It's just a door, you know."

Raph stopped drumming his fingers against the hard cover of his book and wheeled around, hiding it behind his shell. He glared at the cheeky (and somehow still perfectly awake) turtle in front of him.

"I know that."

"Well, you're acting like it's a foreign concept." A pause. "I know that book. That's the one I gave you for Christmas, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"_So_, I thought you'd finished it."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I did, kinda."

"Oh?"

"There's some parts I... don't quite get. I was waitin' for the right chance to ask, but..."

"Oh."

It was best to get the hard part over with first. That way, everything else would be that much easier. "I'm gonna ask Donnie, alright?"

Mikey, if it were possible, brightened up even more. "Really? As in, _really_ really? _Awesome_!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get smug on me."

"Smug? _Please_, bro. You know me better than that."

"That's what worries me." He tapped the cover of the book nervously. "So, uh, you gonna follow me in or..."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Do I _look_ like I need you there to hold my hand?" He snorted.

"Yeah, kinda." Raph snarled at him threateningly. Mikey chuckled and shook his head. "You're seriously confusing sometimes, you know that?"

"Thanks."

"Anyway. Good luck and all that. Not that you'll need it, or anything. If you need me, I'm gonna go hang with Leo."

"Isn't he mediating with Sensei?"

"...You know what? Never mind. I'm gonna go chill in my room."

"Sounds like a plan." Raph nodded. Mikey gave him a smile and walked down the hall.

Stupid, annoying little brothers. They should come with warning labels.

Raph turned around to face the door and sighed. He could always back out now, but doing that would make him a coward, and Raph was no coward.

Nor was he the kind of guy to knock, so instead he merely pulled open the door and stepped inside.

Unlike Mikey or Leo, Donnie always jumps when he enters the room alone, like he had never expected him to even_ think_ of coming near him 'off-hours.' It was more than a little annoying.

He sighed and put down the wires he was messing with. "What do you want, Raph?"

He stood in the doorway a second, shuffling his feet, before finally stomping over with an angry grunt and shoving the open book into his face.

"I need help."

Donnie stared at him as though he were a stranger. "Huh?"

Raph sighed in frustration. "I can't figure out a word." He said through gritted teeth. "I underlined it. Could you help me, _please_."

The 'please' made it sound more like a demand then a plea, but Donnie took the book anyway, scanning the page with a furrowed brow. "You... You're kidding me, right?"

Raph didn't answer.

"Raph, this... It's not even that complicated of a word. I've_ seen_ you work through more difficult words. What is this, a joke?"

Again, no answer.

Donnie looked at him a long moment, then the book. "...Or was there something you were gonna tell me?"

Raph finally looked at him. He'd been staring intently at the wall during the older turtle's rant, but now a single green eye finally slid his general direction.

He watched him out of the corner of his eye a long moment, gathering his courage (not that he needed it, or anything), before speaking. "Words... they get mixed up. Letters, I mean. They look different to me, sometimes. Mike usually helps me out, but _you're_ the genius around here, so..."

Donnie blinked at him. "You're dyslexic? That's it? Raph, come'on. You went to all this trouble for_ that_?"

He stood up from his chair. Raph stepped back, turning to face him fully. His eyes said more than his mouth ever could.

Donnie's jaw almost fell open. "You thought we'd think you were dumb?"

Raph grunted in what could almost pass as agreement and looked away.

Stupid eyes. Stupid genius Donnie. Stupid mixed-up letters. Why couldn't a turtle catch a break around here?

"Raph, come'on. You should know better than that." He put his hand on his shoulder. Raph tensed. "Okay, I admit it. Your not the brightest guy on the planet. Neither is Mikey, or Leo, or Sensei, or me, even. But_ this_-" He waved the book. "Doesn't make you stupid. It makes you_ different_. And I think we _all_ know how that feels."

"Whatever." He jerked away, unwilling to admit that his chest felt the tiniest bit lighter. "Don't go all sappy on me, Don."

"I'm not." He plunked down in his chair and motioned for him to find a seat. "I'll help you."

"Uh, thanks. I guess."

"No need for thanks. Just don't ever keep something like this from us ever again."

* * *

><p>Somehow, the moment he told Donnie about his secret, Master Splinter found out, if not sooner. He suspected a certain orange-banded ninja, and swore to himself that he'd make sure to get paired with him tomorrow for training.<p>

Whatever the case was, he opened the door to his room to find the older mutant sitting as stiff as a board on the edge of his bed, paging through his old 'ABCs' book with a frown. Raph felt a small twinge of nostalgia.

"Master Splinter?"

His head jerked up, though Raph didn't doubt that he'd known he was coming long before he'd reached the door. He sighed, shoulders slumping.

"I... should have known."

"Nobody knew, Sensei. That was the point of keeping it a secret."

Master Splinter stood and closed the book with an air of authority. "I will not make excuses, my son. Only... try to be more observant."

Not possible. This _was_ Sensei, after all. He walked over and put the book in his hands without a word.

"Never feel like you are less than others because of this, Raphael. Never again."

The door clicked shut.

* * *

><p>Leo never said anything, but he didn't have to be a genius to notice that Leo was spell-checking<em> everything<em> he ever wrote and put two and two together.

But that was okay. It didn't change anything. Except, well, everything.

He didn't have to wait for the room to clear to ask Mikey a question about a book. He didn't have to be the second-last to write something in hopes that Mikey would come in behind him and spot any and all errors in his messy scrawl.

He didn't have to_ hide_ anymore.

He had to admit, he could see the appeal in opening up. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

But that doesn't mean they aren't watching. He can feel their eyes on them every time he hands Mikey a comic book, and when he's intently watching his younger brother act out a scene from a game, they notice it, and perhaps even feel a bigger sense of respect for their little brother because of it. They're more aware of them, more understanding, and more interested.

And that's okay. Raph can live with that.

**Author's Note: So... This is the end. The end of a really short story, but the end nonetheless.**

**This story has now made me fully headcanon that Raph is dyslexic. Mikey... well, I'm not quite sure. But I've managed to sell myself on Raph. That's... kinda geeky, now that I think of it.**

**Oh well. Thank you for reading this! It's been fun (for me, at least)!**

**Until my next TMNT story!**

**-Mandaree1**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


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